Defensible Space Calculator

Tecnobosque Interactive Home Protection Tool Explore defensible-space geometry around a home

Change building dimensions and editable zone boundaries and watch the planning areas grow or contract around the structure in real time.

Live geometryFeet & metresZone areasTop-down visualisation
Interactive inputs House and planning zones

Zone boundaries are editable planning distances, not a jurisdiction-specific requirement.

Measurement system
L
ft
10 ft130 ft
W
ft
10 ft100 ft
d₀
ft
0 ft30 ft
d₁
ft
0 ft100 ft
d₂
ft
0 ft200 ft
Illustrative layouts
Total planning area outside the house 56,000 ft² 1.29 acres
Extended
Intermediate
Zone 0
HOUSE
Zone 0 boundary5 ft
Intermediate boundary30 ft
Extended boundary100 ft
House footprint1,500 ft²
Zone 0 ring900 ft²
Intermediate ring7,500 ft²
Extended ring47,600 ft²
Outer planning footprint250 ft × 230 ft
Geometry modelRectangular offset
Outer footprint: (50 + 2×100) × (30 + 2×100) = 57,500 ft²
Editable planning geometry — not a code, compliance or safety determination.
Zone 0 ring area900 ft²
Intermediate ring area7,500 ft²
Extended ring area47,600 ft²
Method Rectangular offset geometry
A(d) = footprint enclosed at offset distance d
L = house length
W = house width
d = selected planning boundary
A(d) = (L + 2d)(W + 2d)
See how defensible-space geometry grows

The visualisation treats the house as a rectangle and expands that rectangle outward by each selected distance. The area of each ring is calculated from the difference between successive offset footprints.

This makes it easy to compare how a change in house size or planning distance affects the amount of surrounding land included in each zone.

The default example

For a 50 × 30 ft rectangular house with editable boundaries at 5 ft, 30 ft and 100 ft, the outer footprint is 250 × 230 ft. Subtracting the 1,500 ft² house footprint leaves 56,000 ft² of surrounding planning area.

Important limitation
Important: this is a geometry and planning calculator, not a wildfire-safety determination. Defensible-space rules, terminology and required distances differ by jurisdiction and site conditions. Real properties may also require non-rectangular geometry, slope, vegetation, access, structures, property boundaries and local regulations to be considered.